UAV handbook: Payload design of small uavs

Abstract

This chapter discusses the payload design issues for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Details of several payload design principles to overcome various small UAV constraints imposed by stringent weight, power, and volume are discussed. Throughout the chapter, the efficacy of these principles is demonstrated with the help of the payloads for a fixed wing UAV developed by the Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research at the U.S. Air Force Academy, using this example payload design, a UAV is to be used to autonomously search, detect, localize, and track ground targets. The system requirements for the example application are closely related to those for other small UAV applications.